Visiting Detroit/Ann Arbor- Part 2: Detroit

The wedding is over so I can take a deep breath and relax now. I decided to take the Amtrak over to Detroit from Ann Arbor to walk around and explore. For some reason, I've been very fascinated with the idea of Detroit. The history of the city, the architecture, the music.

Waiting at the Ann Arbor Amtrak station on my way to Detroit.

Taken from the Amtrak Train on the way to Detroit.

From the pictures I've seen online and in the news, I was expecting the worst. The Amtrak station in Detroit is located pretty far north of the Downtown area, about an hour walk according to google maps. I had nothing else to do so I decided to just take my time and walk down Woodward Ave. Detroit was designed with the automobile in mind and Woodward Ave, being the main avenue in the city, was built wide to accommodate the extra traffic.

Walking down Woodward Ave.

First I stopped by the Detroit Historical Museum. Very nice museum that summarizes the city's history. Includes everything from when the land was bought from the native american to the present. On the second floor there is a small collection of photographs which I enjoyed.

Next stop is the Detroit Institute of the Arts (DIA). To be honest, I was very surprised a museum of this quality was here in Detroit. It is probably up there as one of my favorite museums next to the Met. It is relatively small but their collection is impressive. For example, they had Van Gogh's most famous self portrait and also the portrait of the Postman. There was also a nice open area for people to sit, rest, and grab some food.

I could have spent a whole day in the museum but my time was limited so I continued walking down Woodward.

Passed by Fox Theater

Reminds me of Brooklyn.

Waiting for the people mover. It's a monorail that goes in a circle around downtown detroit. Probably the easiest way to get around.

After walking around for a bit, I decided to check out the boardwalk by the Detroit River.

Pretty sure that is a bullet hole.

By the Detroit River. The other side of the river is Canada. Also a nice picture of a random person brushing her dog.

By Greektown, a casino. There happened to be a lot of people that day because there was a Tigers game.

I was planning on taking a bus or train back to Ann Arbor but found out that the last one left at around 6. Ended up paying 70 dollars for a cab ride back to Ann Arbor!

Overall, Detroit didn't look as bad as I thoughT it would. Then again I didn't wander out of the downtown area and there just happened to be a Tigers game that day so there were more people in town. Nice place to visit, hopefully I can come back again soon.